Table 3.
Changes in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in 42 war veterans who underwent five-year group psychotherapy program at the Split University Hospital, Croatia
| CAPS*
score (mean±SD) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| psychotherapy |
||||
| Symptom† | baseline | after 2 y | after 5 y | P |
| B1 – intrusive recollections | 5.9 ± 1.7 | 6.1 ± 1.4 | 4.0 ± 2.5‡ | <0.001 |
| B2 – distressing dreams | 5.6 ± 2.0 | 5.9 ± 1.5 | 3.7 ± 2.9‡ | <0.001 |
| B3 – acting or feeling as if event were recurring | 3.7 ± 2.3 | 4.0 ± 2.0 | 2.1 ± 1.9‡ | <0.001 |
| B4 – psychological distress at exposure to cues | 4.3 ± 2.4 | 4.3 ± 2.0 | 2.8 ± 2.2‡ | <0.001 |
| B5 – physiological reactivity on exposure to cues | 4.1 ± 2.4 | 4.0 ± 2.0 | 2.7 ± 2.2‡ | <0.001 |
| B score | 23.7 ± 8.3 | 24.4 ± 6.1 | 15.3 ± 9.2‡ | <0.001 |
| C6 – avoidance of thoughts or feelings | 4.1 ± 2.7 | 4.3 ± 2.5 | 4.5 ± 2.1 | 0.736 |
| C7 – avoidance of activities, places or people | 4.0 ± 2.6 | 3.8 ± 2.4 | 3.7 ± 2.3 | 0.649 |
| C8 – inability to recall important aspect of trauma | 1.4 ± 2.0 | 1.5 ± 2.0 | 1.6 ± 2.0 | 0.305 |
| C9 – diminished interest in activities | 5.6 ± 2.2 | 5.3 ± 2.0 | 4.7 ± 2.0 | 0.069 |
| C10 – detachment or estrangement | 4.7 ± 2.4 | 4.6 ± 2.0 | 4.4 ± 2.0 | 0.741 |
| C11 – restricted range of affect | 3.6 ± 2.8 | 3.5 ± 2.7 | 3.0 ± 2.5 | 0.299 |
| C12- – sense of foreshortened future | 4.3 ± 2.6 | 3.9 ± 2.4 | 4.3 ± 2.1 | 0.048 |
| C score | 27.8 ± 10.8 | 27.0 ± 9.5 | 26.3 ± 10.2 | 0.464 |
| D13 – difficulty falling or staying asleep | 5.8 ± 2.1 | 5.8 ± 1.6 | 4.2 ± 2.4 | 0.002 |
| D14 – irritability or outbursts of anger | 5.7 ± 2.1 | 5.5 ± 2.2 | 4.3 ± 1.9 | 0.005 |
| D15 – difficulty concentrating | 5.1 ± 2.2 | 5.1 ± 2.5 | 4.1 ± 2.3 | 0.035 |
| D16 – hypervigilance | 4.1 ± 2.8 | 3.7 ± 2.8 | 3.5 ± 2.8 | 0.048 |
| D17 – exaggerated startle response | 3.1 ± 2.7 | 3.0 ± 2.6 | 2.4 ± 2.2 | 0.201 |
| D score | 23.4 ± 9.1 | 23.6 ± 8.1 | 18.4 ± 8.4 | 0.001 |
| Total score | 74.6 ± 21.7 | 74.8 ± 18.4 | 60.2 ± 21.8‡ | 0.001 |
*CAPS – Clinician Administered PTSD Scale; PTSD – posttraumatic stress disorder.
†According to the Fourth Edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (9).
‡Significantly different from both the baseline values and values after 2 years (repeated measures ANOVA, post hoc t test for dependent samples with Bonferroni's correction).